"Hopefully, we’re finding our feet again” - OP81 looks ahead to his 81st Grand Prix

Chaotic and exciting racing is what Oscar expects in Italy as the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team head to Monza.

Successive victories in Hungary and the Netherlands for Lando have given the team confidence heading into the second half of the season, but next we face the Italian Grand Prix, which will provide contrasting challenges. With Monza’s long straights, energy is tough to come by, which could make for a particularly unpredictable weekend.

Oscar is confident the team are finding answers to the challenges that have been occurring so far this season but knows this will be a true test of how far we have come.

He said: “I think we're making good progress. We just need time and some experimentation to find some things that are going to make us quicker. But I'm confident that we're finding the right answers and finding a way forward.

“I think the race is going to be chaos, especially at the beginning. It's obviously a track that's very, very energy-starved, and a lot of different straights where you can use your energy. I think the racing could be pretty extraordinary. So, let's see what we get.

“We've got a lot of track time until then, so we'll see what kind of deployment everybody has and where it all pans out. But I'm expecting it to be pretty chaotic and exciting.

“Pick or choose which perspective you want on that. It's going to be eventful one way or another.”

The race comes on a landmark occasion for Oscar, as it marks an 81st Grand Prix for OP81, and he will hope to celebrate by building on our recent momentum.

Lando triumphed in Hungary, making it three in a row at the Hungaroring for McLaren, before repeating the trick in Zandvoort. That has given the team confidence that changes being made to the car are working but also comes with an acknowledgement that those circuits were well-suited to us. The question now is to see whether the same is true on such a different circuit in Italy.

Oscar added: “Hopefully, we’re finding our feet again. You know, being able to win races and fight for wins at least.

“Maybe it will be as competitive as the last couple, but it's a very different circuit. And I think the last two, we were pretty conscious that they suited our strengths pretty well. This circuit doesn't necessarily, but we'll wait and see.”

Fresh from his successive victories, meanwhile, Lando is up to fourth in the World Drivers' Championship standings. He finished second in Monza in 2025, equalling his best performance at the Italian Grand Prix. But as much as his pedigree in Hungary was a good omen a few weeks ago, Lando knows that a return to Italy may prove more difficult.

He explained: “There's not a lot we can do really. Every car has strengths and weaknesses, and they are designed in slightly different ways. And ours is just not quite where we want it to be in that style of corner and speed of corner.

“It's obviously something we acknowledge, which is a good thing, and trying to work on as quickly as possible.

“Sometimes things can be quick in F1, sometimes not. So, it's stuff that the whole team are working on back in the factory, and it's more just that there's clear acknowledgement that this has been our biggest weakness lately.

“And we know that we might struggle again here in those styles of corners. It's going to be a different Monza to last year, but it's just the way things are now. It's what we have to deal with. So, we just need to maximise whatever we have got.”

This will be Lando’s first time racing in the car since it was announced that he has extended his contract with us, which was announced during a Friends and Family Day at the McLaren Technology Centre. It was a straightforward decision for Lando given the success he has experienced with the team, and the World Champion is looking forward to a bright future in papaya.

He said: “I believe I can win more World Championships with McLaren. And there's no reason for me to want to leave. So, I don't think it's anything more than that. I would be very, very happy and proud to only be with McLaren my whole career.”